Yearning Affirmation
by RyNe
Summary: [QUALL!] After Rinoa leaves him, will Squall Leonheart find a new love in Quistis Trepe? Or will he end up all alone once again? Pls. R&R!


**""¨¨°º©o.,.o©º°¨¨°º©[ **Yearning Affirmation ]©º°¨¨°º©o.,.o©º°¨¨""****

| Chapter 1 | Standstill |

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is a registered trademark of Square Co., Ltd.  Char. Design by Tetsuya Nomura.

Balamb Garden, near Balamb City

SeeD Living Quarters

2:35 am

_          "I don't love you anymore…"_

          In the stillness of his cold Balamb Garden quarters, all Squall Leonheart could think about are those five words, not to mention the recollections of Rinoa Heartilly's countenance – her face, her eyes, her body, and everything – flooded his frenzied psyche, further depriving him of slumber.

_          "We're not growing… our love's not getting stronger, perhaps it's even getting weaker… there is nothing to keep us together..."_

          Squall closed his eyes, unable to shrug off the incessant thoughts that harass his broken heart and his bemused mind.

_          Maybe she's right. Somehow our relationship became static…_

          He opened his weary eyes and put his hands beneath the back of his head, feeling the relative softness of the pillow under his hands and the weight of his head on his palm. 

          He stared at a dark, empty ceiling, but it seemed that even the bare concrete was reminding him that his life now is relatively empty.

          Rinoa was gone.

          She was all he had, and now she's gone. It appeared unlikely that she would return to his arms.

          He closed his eyes again, desperately seeking the security and comfort of sleep, but visions of his lost love plagued even the pitch darkness.

          _Damn._

          He opened his eyes again, and got up from his bed. Cold sweat trickled slowly from his temples to his cheeks. A queasy sensation filled his guts. He was terribly restless.

          Squall took his leather jacket and walked out of his quarters, thinking it had become uncomfortable to stay within its loneliness.

          He walked along the halls, looking for something he didn't know.

_          It doesn't matter. So long as it takes my mind off Rinoa._

          Wandering aimlessly for several minutes, he reached one of Balamb Garden's external viewing decks. 

          Squall relished the soft whisper of the early morning breeze. The wind gave him a little chill, reminding him once again that he is alone.

          He grasped the railing tight with one arm as he covered a yawn with the other. His serious lack of sleep was getting to him. He tried to take in the scenery outside Balamb Garden. The lights from the city of Balamb can be seen from this distance.

          A voice called out from behind him.

          "What's the matter? Can't sleep?"

          Squall turned to see who was approaching him. It was woman with long blond hair tied at the back, a pair of glasses, wearing a peach dress with a slit on one side.

          "Quistis."

          She smiled. "Can't sleep either. I'm having bad dreams. What about you?"

          Squall turned back to the scenery. 

          He didn't want to remember his problems anymore, yet he felt like he wanted to open up to somebody about it. Of course, he never was the 'open' kind of person, often keeping his problems, misgivings, and similar stuff to himself. In fact, it must be this repressed and self-conscious attitude that doomed his relationship with Rinoa.

          Quistis sighed. "Still the same, huh? You're not going to tell me. Just like before."

          She stood beside him on the deck, letting her arms rest on the railing.

          "You know, Mr. Solo-Flight-SeeD-Hotshot, you'd probably feel better if you tell others how you feel, or at least what's bothering you."

          Squall looked up, and he was the one who sighed this time.

          "Is it really me?"

          She shrugged. "What do you mean?"

          "Even when we were SeeDs fighting together in the battle against Ultimecia… during all that craziness… you guys were telling me stuff like that… that I should open up. That I should share…."

          She smiled again, this time even sweeter than before. She also looked up to the starless navy sky.

          "Yeah, it's you," she said in a soft, gentle voice. "But at the same time, it's you."

          Squall looked at her with a puzzled expression.

          "What do you mean?"

          Quistis shifted her gaze from the sky to nearby Balamb City. 

          "What I mean is… that's really you. It's who you are. You're Squall because of that. Not that it wouldn't help if you did open up to your friends, but I guess it goes without saying that in order to understand you and to be your friend, that's just one of the things we need to hurdle."

          She gave him a slight tap on the back.

          "It's not your fault, because you're just being you."

          Squall looked down on the view.

          "I don't really get it, but…"

          He looked back at her, and tried to smile a bit.

          "Thank you, Quistis."

          Quistis' eyes widened a bit, and she blushed.

          "Well, that's certainly something you don't hear everyday, especially coming from you!" ^_^

          Then their eyes met, and there was a moment of silence. He was looking straight into her blue eyes, and she was looking right at his.

          Squall drew his face closer to Quistis, not breaking his gaze even for a second.

          Their lips drew near, and they closed their eyes. 

          Underneath the starless heavens, the two mystified souls surrendered themselves to this moment of passion.

*********

_Author's notes:_

Yeah. They kissed! See you next chap! The repercussions of this incident, plus Squall's views on how he is going to move on, as well as his thoughts about Quistis. Hope u guys like this fic! Please Review! ^__^

One more thing… please correct me if I'm wrong about some info. ^__^


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